1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to printers and cutters for printing and cutting on a record media and, in particular, to the printing and cutting of paper tapes spooled off a roll commonly used in conventional or electronic point-of-sale data terminals where sales transactions are printed on the paper tape and cut for the purpose of providing a customer receipt. More specifically, this invention relates to the printing of a trademark or other indicia on the customer's receipt on which sales transactions are itemized and the cutting of this receipt so it may be handed to the customer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Knife cutters for cutting paper tape rolled off a spool have been used in postal meters, as best described and claimed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,062,133 to I. H. Lundquist et al, which issued on Nov. 6, 1972. In that patent, the knife cutter shown comprised a rotary cutter rod and a stationary knife blade which cut the paper transversely upon rotation of the rod. The rotary rod had a flat surface which formed the cutting edge and, as the rod was rotated with the paper therebetween, this cutting edge engaged the cutting edge of the stationary knife blade for the shearing effect. This patent also shows a printer on which the postage amount and rate is printed, but the printer is separate and apart from the cutter. Also, the printer prints on the tape after it has been severed from the remainder of the roll.
Another form of knife cutter for cutting paper tape, spooled off a roll and forming part of an electronic point-of-sale type data terminal, is best described and claimed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,813,982 to Helmut K. Waibel, which issued on June 14, 1974. In that patent there was also disclosed a rotary cutter rod and a stationary knife blade, the latter of which was bowed and flexible and yielded upon rotation of the rotary knife to enhance the shearing effect and to make the two blades self-sharpening. Again, while there was a printer for recording transactions on the paper tape and also another printer (not disclosed in the patent) for printing a trademark or indicia on the tape, this latter printer does not form a part of the cutter nor does it coact with the cutter in the same manner as that of the present invention.
There are, of course, numerous other printers and cutters, some of which print and cut at the same time, such as those shown in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,973,707 and 1,177,493 to Crivilli and Cully, respectively, for printing tickets for railroads, street cars, and the like, but these mechanisms were not feasible for use in the present environment. These printers would print the entire ticket at the same time that the cutter was being actuated, whereas, in the present environment there are, in fact, two printers, one of which prints the sales transactions and other items on the paper tape which, of course, would be the equivalent of the printing of ticket matter in the instant patented devices, but there is still another printer which is utilized to print the trademark or other material on the receipt for handing the receipt to the customer. It is this latter type of printer and cutter to which the present invention is directed.
The printer and cutter for printing and cutting on record media, and specifically for printing of a trademark or other indicia on the customer's receipt on which sales transactions are itemized so that the receipt may be handed to the customer and which is an improvement over the abovementioned prior art comprises a rotary cutter which reacts with a stationary knife blade to provide the shearing of the paper tape disposed therebetween with a print head which moves from a position against an ink pad to a printing position concurrently with the cutting action. The means for actuating the print head is mounted on the rotary cutter for concurrent action therewith.